The impact of corticosteroid use on inpatients with inflammatory bowel disease and positive polymerase chain reaction for Clostridium difficile.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Optimal management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with concomitant Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is controversial, especially when CDI diagnosis is made by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which may reflect colonization without infection. METHODS: We performed a multicenter review of all inpatients with IBD and PCR diagnosed CDI. Outcomes included length of stay, 30- and 90-day readmission, colectomy during admission and within 3 months, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, CDI relapse and death for patients who received corticosteroid (CS) after CDI diagnosis versus those that did not. Propensity-adjusted regression analysis of outcomes based on CS usage was performed. RESULTS: We identified 177 IBD patients with CDI, 112 ulcerative colitis and 65 Crohn's disease. For IBD overall, CS after CDI diagnosis was associated with prolonged hospitalization (5.5 days: 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-9.6 days; P=0.008), higher colectomy rate within 3 months (odds ratio [OR], 5.5; 95% CI, 1.1-28.2; P=0.042) and more frequent ICU admissions (OR, 7.8; 95% CI, 1.5-41.6; P=0.017) versus no CS. CS use post-CDI diagnosis in UC patients was associated with prolonged hospitalization (6.2 days: 95% CI, 0.4- 12.0 days; P=0.036) and more frequent ICU admissions (OR, 7.4; 95% CI, 1.1-48.7; P=0.036). CONCLUSIONS: CS use among IBD inpatients with CDI diagnosed by PCR is associated with poorer outcomes and would seem to reinforce the importance of C. difficile toxin assay to help distinguish colonization from infection. This adverse effect appears more prominent among those with UC.

An elderly patient's complete response to steroid therapy for collagenous gastritis.

An 85-year-old woman presented with 9.1 kg (20 lb) weight loss over 5 months and an acute onset crampy abdominal pain. Examination revealed a diffusely tender abdomen, with gastric wall thickening noted on CT scan. Upper endoscopy showed diffuse severe erythema and friability. Histologic examination with hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed collagenous gastritis characterized by active chronic inflammation with sub-epithelial collagen deposition and erosion. The patient was started on steroid therapy with rapid clinical improvement and tapered off over 2.5 months. At 6 months, the patient reported an improved appetite with resolution of her abdominal pain. Repeat endoscopy revealed a grossly normal stomach and normal mucosal biopsies. She remains without complaints 1 year later. Collagenous gastritis, rare in the elderly, is a histologic diagnosis characterized by the deposition of a sub-epithelial collagen band thicker than 10 µm with an inflammatory infiltrate. In all ages the mucosa typically appears nodular and erythematous, caused by an uneven inflammation in the surrounding depressed mucosa with atrophic changes. Specific therapy has not been well-established, and the prognosis and potential for endoscopic or histological resolution remains unclear. While anecdotal, the success of steroids may offer a reasonable starting point for treatment of similar cases.

Risk Factors for the Development of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Including Genetics.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is emerging as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. This trend is, in part, secondary, to the growing incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Other risk factors include age, gender, race/ethnicity, genetic predisposition, and polycystic ovarian disease. With the introduction of genome-wide association studies, genetic mutations contributing to inherited susceptibility to steatosis have been identified, which hold keys to future improvement in diagnosis and management. This article expands on the aforementioned risk factors and summarizes the current available data on genetic and environmental factors associated with this common entity.

Sclerosing Mesenteritis Causing Chylous Ascites and Small Bowel Perforation.

BACKGROUND Sclerosing mesenteritis (SM) is a rare idiopathic inflammation and fibrosis of the mesentery. Its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. It has been linked to abdominal trauma related to peritoneal dialysis, recent abdominal surgery, idiopathic inflammatory disorder, paraneoplastic syndrome, ischemia/infection, and autoimmunity. Abdominal CT is the most sensitive imaging modality, and diagnosis is usually confirmed by surgical biopsy. Patients most often present with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss, and less commonly with chylous ascites and small bowel obstruction. Treatment is usually supportive; surgical intervention may be attempted for life-threatening complications such as bowel obstruction or perforation. CASE REPORT This report describes an 80-year-old man with hypertension and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) presenting with increasing abdominal pain and tenderness over the past 5 months. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a fat-ring sign and peritoneal calcifications along the serosa surface of small bowel consistent with sclerosing mesenteritis. His hospital course was complicated by increasing ascites requiring multiple ultrasound-guided paracentesis, worsening leukocytosis, and persistent hypotension after dialysis, requiring pressor support. Ascitic fluid analysis was consistent with chylous ascites. The patient subsequently developed small bowel obstruction causing focal perforation, leading to the death of our patient. In this report, we review the clinical presentation, radiographic findings, treatment, and outcome in our patient and review the relevant literature. CONCLUSIONS Diagnosis of sclerosing mesenteritis is challenging due to its nonspecific clinical features. Sclerosing mesenteritis is a debilitating albeit self-limiting disorder that can rarely become fulminant, largely due to its complications.

Metal versus plastic for pancreatic pseudocyst drainage: clinical outcomes and success.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts (PPs) by using double-pigtail (DP) plastic stents requires placement of multiple stents and can be restricted by inadequate drainage and leakage risk. Recently, the use of fully covered self-expanding metal stents (FCSEMSs) has been reported as an alternative to DP plastic stents. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes, success rate, and adverse events of EUS-guided drainage of PPs with DP plastic stents and FCSEMSs. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Two tertiary-care academic medical centers. PATIENTS: This study involved 230 patients (mean age, 52.6 years) with PPs who underwent EUS-guided transmural drainage including 118 that were drained by using DP plastic stents and 112 by using FCSEMSs. A transgastric approach was used in 210 patients (91%), and transduodenal drainage was performed in 20 patients (9%). INTERVENTIONS: Stent deployment under EUS guidance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Technical success, early adverse events, stent occlusion requiring reintervention, and long-term success. RESULTS: At 12-month follow-up after the initial procedure, complete resolution of PPs by using DP plastic stents was lower compared with those that underwent drainage with FCSEMSs (89% vs 98%; P = .01). Procedural adverse events were noted in 31% in the DP plastic stent group and 16% in the FCSEMS group (P = .006). On multivariable analysis, patients with plastic stents were 2.9 times more likely to experience adverse events (odds ratio 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-6.3). LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study. CONCLUSION: In patients with PPs, EUS-guided drainage by using FCSEMSs improves clinical outcomes and lowers adverse event rates compared with those drained with DP plastic stents.